4 ms·

That sounds like a great way to live cheaply in a peaceful/quiet environment. How did you find and approach the monastery? Did you already know someone there?

• ced 18y ago
  In the plane, I met a woman who'd been there before. The monastery is "not open for business", as one of the monks reminded me. Normally only practitioners can stay. But I also had the goal of teaching science and computers to whoever was interested, and there are 500 children and teenagers here. I'm sure you could find a monastery to stay in. For all the rigidity of the core monastic rules, I have found them to be remarkably flexible and pragmatic about daily life. If you're interested, email me. There are some wonderful places in the Himalayas.
  • ido 18y ago
    How do you get Internet connection? Or do you just post from the local version of an Internet Café?
    • ced 18y ago
      They have a land line at the monastery, though no network. Some people use satellite connections.
• ido 18y ago
  120 usd/month is about 200 Rupees a day - you do not need to look that hard to find accommodation&food in India for that amount. I was in Northern India about 4 years ago for 2 months, and traveling (which is several times more expansive than just staying in one place, especially since I ate at restaurants and did all kinds of touristy things) cost me about 300-400 usd/month.
  • ced 18y ago
    Well, I haven't heard of any other accommodation that cheap, but you're right, there are options in the same ballpark. Don't forget that prices have gone up substantially since the last 4 years.